Alumni Game Preview: Jeremy Roenick excited to rekindle rivalry

Alumni Game Preview: Jeremy Roenick excited to rekindle rivalry

Comcast SportsNet will air the Stadium Series Alumni Game at TCF Bank Stadium on Feb. 20 between the Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild/North Stars. To get you ready for the game, read more about these former Blackhawks below.

Jeremy Roenick knows what it was like to be a part of the Blackhawks-North Stars rivalry back in the 90s, which began long before that.

It was no holds barred when the division rivals met.

The two teams will rekindle that rivalry during Saturday's Alumni Game on CSN, and while the intensity may not reach the level it did back in the 80s and 90s, it will certainly be entertaining for those that remember the bad blood between them in those days.

"It is going to be a blast, cause if you remember our old heydays, the North Stars vs. the Hawks, it was bedlam," Roenick said during SportsNet Central on Tuesday "There were a lot of animosity, there were a lot of great games. I think probably the worst loss that I've ever had as a professional athlete was in 1991 when we won the Presidents Cup Championship with the Hawks, No. 1 in the league, and we ended up losing in the first round to Minnesota. As I'm walking off the ice, I get hit in the face with a hot dog by this little 9-year old; talk about taking a beating off the ice and on the ice.

"There's a lot of good memories, a lot of crazy memories."

Roenick spent 20 seasons in the NHL with the first eight in Chicago, where he ranks ninth in franchise history with 596 points. In 82 career playoff games with the Blackhawks, he compiled 77 points (35 goals and 42 assists), which also ranks ninth in franchise history. Eight of those goals were game-winners.

Roenick was drafted by the Blackhawks with the No. 8 overall selection in the 1988 draft.

Check out the full rosters below.

Blackhawks

Minnesota

D Adrian Aucoin

D Fred Barrett (North Stars)

G Murray Bannerman

G Don Beaupre (North Stars)

D Ed Belfour

F Brian Bellows (North Stars)

F Dave Christian

D Brad Bombardir (Wild)

F Denis Cyr

F Neal Broten (North Stars)

F Eric Daze

F Andrew Brunette (Wild)

F Reggie Kerr

F Jack Carlson (North Stars)

D Steve Konroyd

D Jon Casey (North Stars)

F Cliff Koroll

F Dino Ciccarelli (North Stars)

F Dave Mackey

F Jim Dowd (Wild)

F Peter Marsh

D Curt Giles (North Stars)

F Grant Mulvey

D Craig Hartsburg (North Stars)

F Troy Murray

F Darby Hendrickson (Wild)

F Brian Noonan

F Antti Laaksonen (Wild)

D Jack O'Callahan

D Reed Larson (North Stars)

F Eddie Olczyk

F Dennis Maruk (North Stars)

F Jeremy Roenick

D Brad Maxwell (North Stars)

D Phil Russell

F Basil McRae (North Stars)

F Denis Savard

G Gilles Meloche (North Stars)

F Reid Simpson

F Mike Modano (North Stars)

G Jimmy Waite

F Richard Park (Wild)

F Steve Payne (North Stars)

F Willi Plett (North Stars)

D Gordie Roberts (North Stars)

F Bobby Smith (North Stars)

F Wes Walz (Wild)

F Tom Younghans (North Stars)

Check back for more alumni player profiles leading up to the game.

Blackhawks edge out Senators in shootout: 'It was really nice to get a win'

AP

Blackhawks edge out Senators in shootout: 'It was really nice to get a win'

It was a rare sight to see the Blackhawks in a shootout on Wednesday night.

It was just the second time this season — and first time at the United Center — that the Blackhawks made it past 3-on-3 overtime.

The last came on Dec. 2, 2017, a 3-2 shootout loss to the Stars in Dallas. On Wednesday night, the Blackhawks were on the other end, beating the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in a seven-round shootout. Nick Schmaltz netted the game-winner.

"We'll take it," coach Joel Quenneville said. "I thought we had a decent game tonight. Overtime not so good, I liked the shootout victory, Fors made some big saves for us particularly as the game got deeper. Our third was OK, I thought our first two were way better, and overtime we gave up some high quality, some bells were rings for a bit there. But it was nice to see the shootout win."

Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist, recording another multi-point game, his 16th of the season.

"I mean we need every point we can get at this point," Kane said. "There's still belief in this locker room. Obviously we need to go on quite a run and have a big record here down the stretch. But take it a game at a time and nice to get two points."

Anton Forsberg was a big reason the Blackhawks even recorded those two points. The 25-year-old netminder stopped 34 of 36 shots and made a handful of big saves down the stretch.

"It was really nice to get a win for sure," Forsberg said. "I would love to have a lot more wins, but right now just gotta look forward and get as many wins as possible."

Added Quenneville: "I think it was good for him to win a game the way he did. Lot of shots were on the line, as we progressed, got deeper, hitting the point first was big for him and for us and then finding a way to get the extra one was a good win."

Three Things to Watch: Blackhawks collide with Senators

Three Things to Watch: Blackhawks collide with Senators

Here are Three Things to Watch when the Blackhawks take on the Ottawa Senators tonight on NBC Sports Chicago and streaming live on the NBC Sports app. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with Blackhawks Pregame Live.

1. Trade chips.

The Blackhawks have reached the point in their season where they have no choice but to become sellers before the Feb. 26 deadline, and we saw that when they traded Michal Kempny to the Washington Capitals on Monday for a conditional third-round pick in 2018. Tommy Wingels could also be an attractive piece for a team looking to fill out their depth.

The Senators will definitely be sellers, and wow do they have some names potentially on the market that can fetch large returns: Derrick Brassard and Mike Hoffman are two players who log top-six minutes on a nightly basis and also have term left on their contract, which is great for teams looking to load up for this year and beyond.

The biggest name to watch, probably in the league altogether, is Erik Karlsson, who could be on the move if a team offers a big enough package for the Senators to pull the trigger now as opposed to in the offseason if they feel him re-signing is a long shot. He was the best defenseman last season, and if a team steps up to get him, they're getting two possible postseason runs out of him.

2. Artem Anisimov's experiment at left wing not working.

Joel Quenneville has tried rekindling the magic between Anisimov, Nick Schmaltz and Patrick Kane as of late, only this time Anisimov is playing the wing and it just hasn't been very effective. The trio was on the ice for each of the two 5-on-5 goals the Kings scored on Monday, and Anisimov completely lost his man on the first one.

It's important to establish a consistent left winger for Schmaltz and Kane, and maybe putting Alex DeBrincat up there is something you consider going forward as part of a long-term solution. Move Anisimov back down as the third-line center to play in more of a defensive role and continue using his big body on power plays for his offensive abilities might be the best bet.

3. Win the special teams battle.

In their last meeting against Ottawa on Jan. 9, the Blackhawks went 4-for-6 on the power play and 4-on-4 on the penalty kill in an 8-2 win. And those are two areas to look out for again.

The Senators own the 28th-ranked power play with a 16.1 percent success rate and 29th-ranked penalty kill with a 74.5 percent success rate. Get ready for another offensive outburst?